Marco Bezzecchi led the way in a twice red-flagged Practice to safely secure a direct Q2 place at the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix.
The Aprilia rider brushed off a collision with Alex Marquez early in the session at Turn 4, which briefly brought out the red flags, to lead the way at the chequered flag with a 1m26.775s.
He led Aprilia stablemate Raul Fernandez, with the Trackhouse rider still carrying a hand injury following a collision with Bezzecchi in Indonesia.
Marc Marquez was third on the Ducati, as he set an identical time to fourth-placed Ai Ogura on the second of the Trackhouse bikes.
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, 2026 Australian MotoGP
© Gold and Goose
Ducati turned heads in Practice on Friday afternoon, as it debuted swingarm wings similar to those pioneered by Aprilia.
Championship leader Jorge Martin was fifth, as he sits just two points clear of Marquez going into what is expected to be, weather-pending, the sprint on Saturday.
Alex Marquez was sixth despite a late crash for Gresini Ducati, while KTM duo Enea Bastianini and Pedro Acosta followed.
Diogo Moreira was ninth for LCR Honda, while Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top 10 for VR46 Ducati.
Pecco Bagnaia missed out on a Q2 spot in 14 as his struggles on the factory Ducati continued.
MotoGP Australia: Who is in Q2?
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | 1'26.775s |
| 2 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.072s |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.126s |
| 4 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.126s |
| 5 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.255s |
| 6 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +0.375s |
| 7 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.407s |
| 8 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.433s |
| 9 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.744s |
| 10 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | +0.756s |
MotoGP Australia: Who is in Q1?
| 11 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.782s |
| 12 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.823s |
| 13 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.880s |
| 14 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.952s |
| 15 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.051s |
| 16 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +1.065s |
| 17 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.204s |
| 18 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.341s |
| 19 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.377s |
| 20 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) | +2.045s |
Lewis joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having been a journalist for five years covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network. In February of 2026, he became Head of Editorial.